"Old" Vaillant boiler problem

[Jaunty6]

I have a Vaillant Turbomax VUW combi boiler fitted about 12 years ago. And apparently that is now considered "old". Its immediate predecessor was a Vulcan Autostat installed in about 1955! Now that is what I call old, and it was still working fine when I replaced it to save some gas.

This winter the Vaillant wouldn't fire up at all. Called a CORGI man, who diagnosed and fitted a new pressure switch and then it fired up. But it still has an odd fault which I didn't discover until the CORGI had left. When first turned on it fires up and everything works fine. Then the roomstat turns off the pump and it all shuts down correctly. But when the roomstat turns it on again it fails with a flashing Ignition Indicator. Called the CORGI back, but he says it must be a main board fault and Vaillant don't supply them any more and the only option is to fit a new boiler! After only 12 years!

I am not sure I believe him about it being a PCB failure (I am a retired Mechanical Design Engineer and know something about this sort of thing). And I am shocked that spares are no longer available for a 12 year old machine! And I can't afford £1300 for a new boiler every 12 years.

Can anyone give me any advice as to what to do, please?

 

[TCCHeating]

Even if it is a pcb fault. Pcbs are still available for these. Sack your engineer

 

[cross thread]

parts are available,could be various reasons for failing,from pump pressure to ignition gas electronics ,but if its a regular fault a good eng should be able to repair

 

[Agile]

Amazing what some CORGIS tell people.

But when you own the property its difficult to imagine that you say you cannot put aside £5 a week to replace aging appliances either.

Tony

 

[muggles]

Your Corgi might well not be qualified - the dog has been dead for over six years, it's Gas Safe now. He certainly doesn't know what he's talking about, PCBs are very much available. Find a different boiler engineer who's familiar with your boiler

 

[Bunnyman]

Nought wrong with a 12 year old turbo, an if u think u get a vaillant supplied an fitted properly for £1300 thing again, closer to £2k now. Anyway get a decent bloke ur mans a clown an telling fibs as all pcbs are available back to 1985